Details

Date Published

Sept. 3, 2016

Date Built

Aug. 27, 2016

CPU Clock Rate

4.0GHz

GPU Core Clock Rate

1.72GHz

GPU Effective Memory Clock Rate

10.0GHz

Description

Named so because it is replacing a tired G75VW laptop, this is my college graduation present to myself! I have been planning to set up my own rig for years, and not having to haul a computer to class anymore meant it was finally time to get it built.

I didn't really have any performance or price requirements in mind going into this build - the black/blue color scheme sort of shaped itself as I acquired more parts. My goal was to hunt around pcpartpicker and r/buildapcsales to find good prices for everything.

Two snags along the way (see my Case and Memory part reviews), but overall a very satisfying build, and a really fun system to be using every day.

Updates

Waiting on RAM RMA - will post performance benchmarks and clock speeds once it is installed.

Will update Motherboard section with overclocking process and bios review.

Will update Case section with cooling performance

Keyboard

Oh my - I had never used a mechanical keyboard before, but now when I go back to typing on my laptop its keys feel cheap in comparison. Absolutely love typing on this thing, the sound and feedback are satisfying, and it is really fun to play with the lighting / keybind customizations for different games.

Thank you for taking the time to check out my new build, and I am looking forward to all of your feedback and thoughts!

Part Reviews

Motherboard

Nothing flashy here, I just wanted something without any red LEDs or accents - which is a lot harder to find than one would think. It helps the blue features stand out really nicely, and there is plenty of space for a second card. The bios looks nice - I will update this section when I have a stable OC and have had more time to poke around it.

Memory

The second issue of the build - I simply have bad luck buying RAM it seems. One of the two modules came DOA, and I am waiting on a GSkill RMA to get it replaced. On the plus side, the blue sticks look really sharp!

Storage

Video Card

My original plan was to grab a 1070 FTW, but after researching some comparisons and finding this monster in stock at a good price I knew I had to pull the trigger on this. Going from a laptop to this is absolutely mind boggling. As shown in the Updates section, I will be posting 3DMark, game performance, and clock speeds once I get the second RAM module installed.

Case

Despite two issues, the big aluminum Phanteks case is a pleasure to work in. It looks just as good as I imagined it would sitting up against my black tempered glass desk. Two windows means cable management needs a lot of attention, and the case helps with that through built-in wire straps and a large basement for hiding extra slack. However, with only one obvious cable routing path it would have been much easier to hold everything together if the straps were longer. As everything sits now they just barely stay velcroed together. Additionally, one of the two USB 3.0 ports on the front of the case is dead, which was a tad disappointing to find out after I had everything installed. Fortunately I don't use them often enough for it to be a real issue.

I will add a cooling discussion once I achieve a stable clock speed.

Power Supply

After seeing the quality packaging and products that came out of my GPU, PSU, and cables, I am quite the fan of EVGA. All of the cables were top notch and long enough to route them whichever way I needed to, and they look really nice inside the case.

Monitor

This is the nicest panel I have ever used, and my first experience with any resolution above 1080p. (Is this what the masterrace feels like?) Small amount of backlight bleed when the screen is dark, but it's to be expected from an IPS panel. I know I'm missing out on the FreeSync by using this monitor with an Nvidia card, but I am very happy with the price I found it for on Newegg.

Fantastic build and some of the neatest cable management I've seen. Also a pleasure to see someone else favouring a standard CPU cooler. I'm working on a very similar build and steering away from liquid coolers as they seem to be extremely noisy.

Thanks - I am glad you approve of the parts chosen! Liquid cooling scares me - I just don't know enough about it truthfully. This case is certainly built for it, maybe I will look into it someday. For now though things are whisper quiet so I have no complaints.

I haven't had the time for too much AAA testing yet, but I was pushing 144 fps on NBA 2K16 and 60 fps on Dark Souls III and didn't notice any. Let me get back to you on this after I have run 3DMark and playtesting something with a little higher demand.